A view of the Southern Ocean. Spent Friday exploring the coast from Walpole back to Albany. After pancakes in the hostel ,drove the hour and a half back to Walpole and met Gary Muir and his WOW Wilderness EcoCruise. He was enthusiastic and knowledgable and the tour of the inlet and then the hike across an island to the beach on the Southern Ocean was quite spectacular. The only downside were the flies:



They were everywhere and Australian flies aren't like flies back home -- these like to land on your face and crawl around. When there are so many you have to make sure you don't breathe through your mouth.

Further along the coast (it's been very strange driving east-west along an ocean coast rather than north-south) was Greens Pool in Williams Bay.



I spent Thursday driving from Busselton to Albany. Paul at the Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse told me there were two things I must do while in the area: the wilderness tour with Gary and climb the bicentennial tree near Pemberton.



The bicentennial tree is one of three climbable fire lookout trees in Western Australia. If you look closely, you can see the two ton viewing platform with four landings 246 feet in the air and the intermediate landing a third of the way up the tree. You reach the upper platform by climbing metal rods, 165 rods, that have been inserted into the trunk of the tree.



There's an intermediate stop and then you reach the landings and three long ladders that lead to the highest platform,:



As terrifying as it was at times, the view was well worth the effort:



I've been up 90 foot masts on sailboats, but hanging on these pegs climbing around and around the tree trunk almost 250 feet up the tree and then emerging at the very top above everything was exhilarating. It's always fascinating to face primal fears. Breathing under water was one fear. Your instincts scream that it isn't right and you must flee. It takes nerve to convince yourself it's OK, press on, and continue. This was one of those moments. Your body and mind want no part of the endeavor and it takes effort to keep going which makes it even better when you reach the ground again and can smile at what you've done.

Here's another sculpture. Finally saw quite a few Emus in fields along the road the past couple of days. I don't think this one has moved for quite awhile.